driggs



(No Model.) 3 Sheets$heet 1. W. H. & L. L. BRIGGS. CARRIAGE FOR FIELD ARTILLBRY.

No. 579,261. Patented Mar. 23, 1897.

(No Model.-) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

W. H. & L.'-'L. BRIGGS.

CARRIAGE FOR FIELD ARTILLBRY.

N0. 579,261. Patented Man 23, 1897.

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m m l 3 E 5 QR g g g ll i g n N 1 I: g r O d N N \I r 5 i Q. i i N 0 N m Y 2 (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

"W. H. -& L. L. BRIGGS. CARRIAGE FUR FIELD ARTILLERY- No. 579,261. Patented Mar. 23, 1897.

g gqg All) iINiTEn STATES PATENT Orricn.

\VI'LLIAM II. DRIGGS AND LOUIS LABODIE DRIGGS, OF WASHINGTON, DIS- TRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNO'RS, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE AMERICAN ORDNANCE COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

CARRIAGE FOR FIELD-ARTILLERY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 579,261, dated March 23, I897. Application filed May 20, 1895. Serial No. 549,964. (NcmocleL) To all whom it may concern.- shown, or of any other desired type. This lie it known that we, WILLIAM H. DRIGGS gun is mounted in the saddle B, which is i11- and LOUIS LABODIE DRIGGS, citizens of the teriorly screw-threaded, as at B, to engage United States, residing at \Vashington, in the in corresponding threads on the body of the District of Columbia, have invented certain gun. This saddle extends downward to form 55 new and useful Improvements in Carriages the sliding block 13 which slides in the osfor Field-Artillery; and we do hereby declare cillating frame E. The said block 13 is perthe following to be a full, clear, and exact deforated to form the double cylinders 13, the scription of the invention, such as will enable ends of which are closed by the screw-plugs others skilled in the art to which it ap pertains B and the said block is provided with wedge- 60 to make and use the same. shaped lugs Z), which are dovetailed under This invention relates to improvements in the overhanging guides 6, attached to the mounts for field-guns; and it consists in cersides E of the oscillating slide E. Mounted tain improvements in the method of mountin the cylinders 13 are the pistons 0, con- I 5 ing the gun upon its carriage, in controlling nected to the piston-rod C, whose forward 65 the recoil thereof independent of the motion ends are screw-threaded, as at c, and are held of the carriage, in braking the wheels, in in place in the forward end E of the oscillatstrengthening the axles, in throwing the trailin g slide E by means of the lock-nu ts c. The wheel into and out of operation, and thus coil-spring D, interposed between the piston braking the recoil of the carriage by means and the closed end of the cylinder, not only 70 of the trail, and in certain other novel arassists in checking the recoil of the gun, but rangementsand combinations of parts, as will will also be of suificient strength to return be hereinafter described and claimed. the same to the initial position after each dis- Figure 1 represents a sectional view of the charge. field-mount along the broken line 00 a: of Fig. In the form of recoil-checking apparatus 75 2 and looking toward the top of the sheet in shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 4 the spring D should the said figure. Fig. 2 represents a plan view he made of sufficient strength to absorb a conof the field-mount, the gun and amm unition siderable amount of the energy of the recoil, boxes being removed therefrom. Fig. 3 repwhile the springs D are interposed between o resents a section along the line y y of Fig. 1 the forward end of the cylinder and the oscil- 80 and looking in the direction of the arrows. lating slide for the purpose of checking the Fig. 4 represents a section along the line ,2 z gun upon its return to the initial position due of Fig. 3 and looking in the direction of the to the stored-up energy in the springs D. arrows. Fig. 5 represents a section along the In the modification shown in Fig. 6 the eylline 2 .2 of Fig. 3 on an enlarged scale and inder B is provided with a groove t to ad- 85 also seen in the direction of the arrows. Fig. mit the passage of fluid from one side of the 6 represents a similar view to Fig. 4, showing piston to the other, and the said cylinder is a modified form of the recoil-cylinder for filled with fluid. The first part of the said taking up the shock of recoil and for returngroove is made large enough to admit the free ing the gun to the initial position. Fig. 7 passage of the fluid from one side of the pis- 0 represents a plan view of a modified form of ton to the other, whereby the gun recoils adjusting mechanism for the trail-wheel from freely during the early stages of the recoil, that shown in Fig. 1, and Fig. 8 represents a while after the said early stages the groove side elevation of the device shown in Fig. 7 contracts rapidly, so as to enable the recoilas seen from the right of the said figure. cylinder to check the recoil of the gun within 5 In the drawings the same parts are indithe desired limits. By this arrangement the cated by the same letters throughout the sevgun recoils freely in the line of fire until the eral views. projectile has left the muzzle thereof, and the A represents the body of the gun, which error technically known as jump is to a may be of the Driggs Schroeder type, as large degree avoided. I11 this construction :00

the fluid in the cylinder serves as a buffer on the counter-recoil, and hence the spring D (shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 4) may be dispensed with.

The oscillating slide E is provided with vertical guides E, which meet together at the front of the said slide in the transverse piece E, to which the piston-rods are attached, as before described. The rear end of this slide terminates in the bifurcated arms E across which is pivoted the transverse shaft 6 for the elevating-screw, which will be hereinafter more fully described.

The oscillating slide E is connected, by means of the strap F and tap-bolts f, to the axle G, which is preferably tubular in form, as shown. Thus the oscillating slide is revo lubly mounted upon the said axle.

On either side of the strap F are the cheele pieces K of the trail, which cheek-pieces are stiifened by the bottom plate K and the top plate K thus forming a substantially rectangular beam tapering toward the trailwheel.

Mounted on the axle G and fast to the cheek-pieces K are the brackets or supports provided with the plates M for supporting the ammunition-boxes. These plates M are provided with a sleeve M on the lower side thereof, in which the axle G fits snugly. The said plates M are provided with guide-lugs m and 772, between which the ammunitionboX is held, while one side of the plate is bolted fast, as by means of the upturned flange or plate m to the cheek-pieces K, whereby the said plates are secured rigidly to the said cheek-pieces, thus forming, with the said cheek pieces, a continuous bracket, which lends rigidity to the entire structure and more especially stiffens the axle, which normally tends to buckle under the excessive strains incident to firing the gun.

The plate M has at the outer side thereof a depending lug M in which the pawl P is mounted. This pawl P is pressed forward by the spring 1), and is provided at its outer end with an eye 1) for the ready withdrawal of the said pawl from engagement with the ratchet M which is rigidly attached to the inside of the hub of the wheel. This pawl is normally pressed forward by the spring 1), butit is provided with a catch p adapted to be engaged by the lugs q of the latch Q, which latch is made of resilient material and is pressed downward as the pawl P is withdrawn, and then springs upward, engaging the catch p after the pawl has been withdrawn to the desired distance. In order to disengage the latch, it is provided with a thumb-lug g, which enables the same to be pressed downward, thus allowing the spring to press the pawl P forward into the holding position.

It will be seen that when the herein-described pawl is in the position shown in Fig. 5 the gun may be run forward, while it cannot be drawn to the rear except by dragging the locked wheels over the ground.

The wheels would ordinarily be locked when the piece is in battery, and the pawl would be withdrawn and held by the catch Q when on the march.

Since the gun would tend to rotate backward about the axle when fired, the elevatinggear mustbe made of considerable strength, and for this reason the arms E in rear of the oscillating slide are made strong and carry pivoted therein a stout bar 6 the center of which is expanded into a nut e, as shown most clearly in Fig. 1.

The elevating-screw R, which is preferably provided with oppositely-disposed threads 7' and r and a hand-wheel R, passes through the said nut 6 and also through a similar nut s, mounted on the transverse bar 8, which is set across the slot 713 111 the bottom plate K of the trail. By this construction a simple and strong elevating-gear is provided.

The upper plate K of the trail is slotted, as at k in Figs. 2 and 7, to receive the trailwheel T, which trail-wheel is journaled between the cheek-plates K of the trail.

In the form of device shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the trail-wheel is journaled on an axle t, which is made hollow, as shown, and is adapted to receive the pin 2; at the end of the lever V, which pin is locked in place when down, as is well known with similar devices. This axle if is journaled at the end of a bell-crank lever U, which is pivoted to the trail at t and is provided with a horn u adapted to project downward when the wheel is in the raised position, as shown in Fig. 1, and thus to dig in the earth as the carriage recoils, while the said horn is raised up clear of the ground when the wheel is in the lower position or in the position that it would normally be when on the march.

In order to provide for holding the wheel in the two positions aforesaid, the arm U is provided with two perforations u and 1?, whose centers are on the circumference of a circle struck with the pivot u as a center, and the two perforations being adapted to receive the pin 4;, whereby the said wheel T may be held in the upper or in the lower position, as may be desired.

In the former device (shown in Figs. 7 and 8) the trail-wheel T is mounted on a crankpin t on the crank-shaft t, which crank-shaft is operated by the hand-lever '6 which is preferably made resilient and adapted to engage in one or the other of the catches 7& on the side of the trail. The relation of the crankpin t the crank-shaft t, and the hand-lever i is such that when the hand-lever is turned in one position lengthwise of the trail the trail-wheel will be lifted clear of the ground, as is shown in full lines in Fig. 8, while if the hand-lever be turned in the reverse direction the trail-wheel will be thrown in the lower position, resting on the ground, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 8. By this construction a rapid and ready means of throwing the trail-wheel into and out of operation IIO is provided, and this is especially desirable in the hurry and excitement of bringing the piece into action.

It will be evident that the herein-described mount for field-guns is extremely simple, light, cheap, and durable and that it possesses advantages in construction and facility of operation that will readily suggest themselves to any one skilled in the art.

It will be obvious that many modifications of the herein-described invention might be made which could be used without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In a gun-mount for field-guns, the combination with a gun and a block rigidly at tached thereto and carried beneath the gun, with cylindrical chambers in said block, of a rocking slide engaging the sides of the said block and guiding the same, pistons moving in said cylindrical chambers, piston-rods connecting said pistons to said rocking slide, means for controlling the motion of said pistons in said cylinders, an axle and wheels supporting the same, means for pivotally connecting said rocking slide to said axle, atrail, and an elevating-screw connecting said rocking slide with said trail, substantially as described.

In a gun-mount for field-guns, the combination with a gun and a block rigidly attached thereto and carried beneath the gun, with cylindrical chambers in said block, of a rocking slide engaging the sides of the said block and guiding the same, pistons moving in said cylindrical chambers, piston-rods c011- neeting said pistons to said rocking slide, means for controlling the motion of said pistons in said cylinders, an axle and wheels supporting the same, means for pivotally connecting said rocking slide to said axle, a trail, and brackets mounted on said axle and rigidly attached to said trail, and supporting the ammunition-boxes, substantially as described.

3. In a gun-mount for field-guns, the combination with a gun and a block rigidly attached thereto and carried beneath the gun, with cylindrical chambers in said block, of a rocking slide engaging the sides of the said block and guiding the same, pistons moving in said cylindrical chambers, piston-rods connecting said pistons to said rocking slide, means for controlling the motion of said pistons in said cylinders, an axle and wheels supporting the same, means for pivotally connecting said rocking slide to said axle, a trail, and brackets mounted on said axle and rigidly attached to said trail, and supporting the ammunition-boxes, a pawl mounted in each of said brackets, and a ratchet-wheel connected to each of said wheels and normally engaged by said pawl when the guncarriage is moved backward, substantially as described.

4:. In a gun-mount for field-guns, the combination with brackets mounted on the axle, and spring-pawls mounted in said brackets, of ratchet-wheels moving with the wheels of the gun-carriage and normally engaged by said pawls, and means for throwing said pawls into and out of engagement, substantially as described.

5. In a gun-mount for field-guns provided with a trail, the combination with a trailwheel mounted in said trail, of a crank-shaft journaled in said trail and forming an axle for said wheel, and means for turning said crank-shaft in either direction, for raising or lowering said trail-wheel,substantially as and for the purposes described.

6. In a gun-mount for field-guns provided with a trail, the combination with a trailwheel mounted in said trail, of a crank-shaft journaled in said trail and forming an axle for said wheel, a lever-arm connected to said crank-shaft and adapted to turn the same in either direction so as to raise or lower said wheel, and catches on said trail for engaging said lever when said wheel is in the raised or lowered position, substantially as and for the purposes described.

7. In a gun-mount for field-guns provided with a trail, the combination with a trailwheel mounted in said trail, of a crank-shaft journaled in said trail and forming an axle for said wheel, a resilient lever-arm connected to said crank-shaft and adapted to turn the same in either direction so as to raise or lower said wheel, and inclined lugs on said trail adapted to wedge up said resilient lever and to hold the same in the desired direction after it has been sprung between said lugs, substantially as and for the purposes described.

8. In a gun-carriage, the combination with the axle and trail, the latter comprising vertical plates supported on the axle, of a support for the ammunition-boxes at each side of the trail also embracing the axle, each of said supports comprising a sleeve, and guide lugs, and a horizontal plate all formed in one piece and secured to the trail-plates, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

-WILLIAM H. DRIGGS. LOUIS LABODIE BRIGGS. \Vitnesses:

JOHN C. WILsoN, J 0s. 11. BLAcKwooD. 

